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Thursday, February 17, 2011

TV TOPIC: Who Should've Been Cast as Wonder Woman?

Full disclosure, my favorite superheroines are: Hit Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Catwoman, Sailor Mars, Rogue, and Kim Possible, in that order. I'm aware of who Wonder Woman is, but I was never really impressed by her superhero folklore. The whole lasso of truth and invisible plane thing sounded...kind of lame. However, aside from the ladies on "No Ordinary Family" and the female counterparts of the Justice League on "Smallville," we are currently lacking in the female superhero category, so I'm all for a new/recycled addition. But when they announced the lucky actress who scored the role, Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Night Lights"), I was actually kind of disappointed. I loved her on that criminally ignored sports drama, but she just doesn't fit the description. I know, I know, people say that all the time about superhero castings and then end up loving the unexpected actor in the role. But just for arguments sake, I will present to you who I think should've been given a shot at the lasso.

When most people begin to brainstorm on who to cast in a comic-related adaptation, they focus on choosing someone who looks like the cartoon/illustration come to life. So it seems what we're going for here is someone with long, flowing black hair and a slim enough body to rock a patriotic leotard. Here are my Top 10 suggestions based on that criteria:

Olivia Munn - The Funny Girl

Powers: She's best known as the smokin' hot, funny girl from "Attack of the Show" and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," but this mid-season she's apart of NBC's ensemble comedy "Perfect Couples." The series may not fair well in the ratings, doing worst than even the supposedly offensive office comedy "Outsourced," but she's actually the funniest part of the show, playing the controlling and obsessive half of a preppy couple. If the creators of this new incarnation wanted to add levity in between villainous takedowns, like "No Ordinary Family" or "The Cape," then she would've been a great fit.

Weakness: She's not a household name yet and she hasn't carried a scripted show before, so studios aren't eager to bet on her.

Alexandra Daddario - The Warrior

Powers: If you were one of the few people who went out to see Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief, then you were properly introduced to the firecracker that is Alexandra Daddario. In a matter of minutes, she established herself as a fearsome, unmerciful warrior in a sea of testosterone, and stole the hero's heart in spite of his pride. She could've easily done the same in a leotard and knee-high boots.

Weakness: She kind of looks like a teenager. It would probably be hard to sell her as a young woman, even though she has played one on USA's "White Collar."

Erica Durance - The Superhero's Girlfriend

Powers: I get the whole "The pen is mightier than the sword" bit, but I can't for the life of me think why they would make Lois so feisty and formidable on "Smallville" and NOT give her a superhero alter ego. Modern Lois is the coolest heroine since Buffy. After 7 years of playing second fiddle to...The Blur a.k.a. ghetto Superman, I think she's due for an upgrade.

Weakness: Um...her hair isn't black. I got nothing. She's awesome!

Gemma Arterton - The Full-figured Goddess

Powers:The voluptuous British import has had quite the year, starring opposite Sam Worthington in Clash of the Titans and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia. She's the object of many a man's obsession and I wouldn't be surprised if she were nominated as GQ's next Sexiest Woman Alive. But how long before her star starts to flicker? After all, you can only play "the hot girl" so many times before someone else distracts the panting multitude. Megan Fox can attest to that. So why not get a steady TV gig to show producers what she can do?

Weakness: I've yet to hear her American accent.

Evangeline Lilly - The Tough Girl

Powers: The "Lost" alum just wrapped the action sci-fi film Real Steel with Hugh Jackman, and after that belly flops (eyeroll), she'll be free as a bird. This is her chance to finally be front and center without two leading men and some blonde (ha!) hogging the spotlight. Plus, we already know she can rough it in the jungle like the Amazonian heroine and handle herself in hand-to-hand combat. She's the toughest option.

Weakness: Kate rarely had lines. She was more of a facially emotive character. And while, every now and then she had light, carefree moments, we've yet to see her as just an average woman living an everyday life. Not sure fans would still adore her if she wasn't perpetually intense.

Idina Menzel - The Curve Ball

Powers: Since most audiences only know her as Rachel's birth mom on "Glee" or one of the divas in Rent, my only reason for suggesting her is that she sort of looks the part with those penetrating eyes.

Weakness: It would be a waste to cage such an incredibly talented songbird.

Michelle Tratchenberg - The TV Vet

Powers: Michelle has a decade of experience on TV, playing a meek little sister ("Buffy, the Vampire Slayer"), a naive nurse ("Mercy"), and a vengeance-seeking socialite ("Gossip Girl"). She knows how to act in the fantasy genre without coming off campy or ridiculous, and she always manages to give her characters depth no matter how vapid they may originally seem. She may be a tad on the young side, but the younger the actress, the longer the series can believably last, and the less likely we'll be subjected to plot lines like "How can I have a baby and fight crime?"

Weakness: Actors who are victim to one series cancellation can be experiencing the beginning of an industry curse. Just ask Kristoffer Polaha ("North Shore," "Miss Guided," "Valentine," "Life Unexpected").

Joanna Garcia - The Chameleon

Powers: Even though this lovely actress is of Cuban descent, in the last decade, she's managed to pass for a bratty Southern teen mom ("Reba"), a broke, struggling writer turned live-in tutor to the rich ("Privileged"), a well-connected and wealthy socialite ("Gossip Girl"), and an absent-minded, impulsive new mom ("Better With You"). And in the process she's gone from a blonde to a brunette to a redhead. This is a girl who's not afraid of change and is malleable enough to transform herself into whatever the studio wants her to be. She just hasn't quite found the right challenge yet and this could be it.

Weakness: She's already on an ABC couples comedy called "Better With You," and since it has more viewers than the cult-favorite "Cougar Town," it probably won't be cancelled.

Kristin Kreuk - The Comeback

Powers: When they started the plot line that would lead to the end of Lana+Clark and the beginning of Lois+Clark, I was super excited. I grew up on the 90s series starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, and I have been patiently waiting for the last 10 years to see the "Smallville" version of their love story. So, needless to say, I wasn't too bummed that Lana was on her way out. I was, however, just beginning to like Kristin Kreuk. Her character finally stopped whining and screaming for help--because, honestly, at some point a modern damsel would've taken a few self-defense classes--and stood up for herself. She was becoming her own hero. With her departure, I felt robbed of that.

Weakness: She REALLY lost some cool points by starring in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, one of the worst video game/comic book adaptations I've ever seen. I don't think she has enough fans to bolster ratings. Plus, I don't know if the comic book community would accept someone who looks of half-Asian decent as a symbol of America.

Zooey Deschanel - The Indie Chick

Powers: Zooey has experience with fantasy content, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to the Syfy re-imagination of The Wizard of Oz miniseries "Tin Man." And in the past three years, she's managed to become the indie crowd's object of affection, goofing around with the oversized child Will Ferrell in Elf, falling in love with the painfully agreeable Jim Carrey in Yes Man, charming the pants off of the love-struck Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer, and hypnotizing audiences with her folk/rock duo She & Him. She could've represented modern youth, more artsy and emotional than combative and conflicted.